
Hristo Stoichkov is the most successful Bulgarian player ever. He was honoured as European Footballer of the Year in 1994. Stoichkov was named by Pele as one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers at a FIFA Awards Ceremony in 2004. Hristo played for Hebros Harmanli, CSKA Sofia, Barcelona, Parma, Al-Nassr, Kashiwa Reysol, Chicago Fire and DC United. In 455 games he scored 220 goals. For the Bulgarian national team he scored 37 goals in 83 games. Stoichkov was named five times for Bulgarian player of the year.
Stoichkov was the star of the golden Bulgarian generation. The team reached the semifinal of World Cup in 1994 in the USA. Stoichkov was the joint topscorer of the tournament with 6 goals.
Stoichkov was born in 1966 and began his career in his hometown Plovdiv, moving to Hebros in 1984. The next year he went to CSKA Sofia. He managed to win the European Golden Boot with CSKA by scoring 38 goals in 30 games.
As part of Johan Cruyff's 'Dream Team', Stoichkov helped Barcelona to the most successful era of the club, winning the Primera Division four years in a row between 1991 and 1994 and the UEFA Champions League after defeating Sampdoria in 1992. During his stay in Barcelona, he had become an idol for the club's fans, and was Barca's most popular player at the time, having earned a place in the supporters' hearts much like Johan Neeskens and Diego Maradona in the past.
In his first season with the club Stoichkov netted 14 league goals and six more in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.
In 1994 he was named European Footballer of the Year after leading his national side to the 1994 World Cup semifinals.
In 1997 he helped Barcelona win the Spanish Super Cup, Copa del Rey and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.
In the 2003-04 season, Stoichkov started a coaching career, serving as a forwards coach at Barca. After Bulgarian national team coach Plamen Markov resigned in the wake of the team's first-round exit from Euro 2004, the Bulgarian Football Union named him as the new national team coach on 15 July. In 2007 he resigned and had a short stint as manager at Celta de Vigo.
Stoichkov owns three youth football academies in Bulgaria and Barcelona.
He is an ambassador for peace of the United Nations and Bulgarian League Ambassador for the EPFL / FAO “Professional Football Against Hunger” Campaign
![]()
Ambassadors Intro
![]()
Roberto Baggio
![]()
Raúl González Blanco
![]()
Patric Vieira
![]()
Hristo Stoichkov
![]()
Paolo Rossi
![]()
Hansi Muller
![]()
Manuel José & Fernando Couto
![]()
Dietmar Kühbauer
![]()
Craig Bellamy
Home About the Campaign Videos Photos Ambassadors
Match Day Against Hunger Field Visits Other Events Contacts Ending Hunger
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
| AUT | BEL | BUL | ENG |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
| ENG | GER | GRE | ITA |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
| ITA | ITA | NED | NOR |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
| POL | POR | RUS | RUS |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
| SPL | ESP | SVN | UKR |